September 08, 2026 - 229 views
Wales has fallen further behind the other UK nations in international tests of 15-year-olds, with a significant drop in maths and another fall in reading.
The latest PISA results, published today, show Wales continues to face a major challenge in raising standards in schools, although performance in science has improved slightly and Welsh schools compare relatively well internationally when it comes to supporting disadvantaged learners.
PISA – the Programme for International Student Assessment – is organised by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development every four years. It assesses how effectively 15-year-olds can apply their knowledge and skills in reading, mathematics and science to real-world problems.
In Wales, 3,406 pupils from 113 schools took part in the latest assessment in September and October 2025.
The biggest decline was in maths, where Wales' average score fell from 466 to 456. While scores in the other UK nations were broadly stable, the results mean Wales has fallen further behind.
Reading scores also declined, from 466 to 459, continuing concerns about literacy following the sharp fall recorded in the previous assessment.
Science was the only subject where Wales recorded an improvement, with the average score rising slightly from 473 to 476. However, the improvement was smaller than in some other countries and parts of the UK. England's science score, for example, rose to 516.
The OECD said Wales' results showed that its "overall downward trend" was continuing.
The latest figures follow the 2022 PISA results, published in 2023, when Wales recorded its lowest-ever scores in all three subjects.
However, the Welsh Government says the results also highlight areas where the education system is performing comparatively well.
Education and Welsh Language Minister Anna Brychan said the results were "not where we want them to be", but insisted there would be no knee-jerk response.
She said improving reading and maths, while ensuring high-achieving pupils reach their full potential, would be priorities.
The minister also praised teachers for supporting disadvantaged learners, saying their performance compared well internationally regardless of background.
She said the government had inherited an education system lacking "clarity, coherence and a sure sense of direction", and said work was already under way to address those issues.
A Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Plan is due to be launched shortly and is intended to set clearer expectations for schools, establish roles and responsibilities and bring organisations together to help raise standards.
The minister said PISA was not the only measure of school performance, but that Wales had to take international assessments seriously.
She said the focus now needed to be on what happens next and on providing schools with better support to improve standards.
The results are likely to renew debate about the performance of Wales' education system, particularly the widening gap in maths and the continuing decline in reading, while also highlighting the importance of tackling educational disadvantage and ensuring the highest-achieving pupils are supported to reach their potential.
